451: What It Takes to Launch a Chick-fil-A Franchise w/ Kareem Edwards
Side Hustle Pro
Nicaila Matthews Okome | Side Hustle Pro Media
4.8 • 1.8K Ratings
🗓️ 26 February 2025
⏱️ 61 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This week in the guest chair we have Kareem Edwards, one of the very first men to grace the Side Hustle Pro guest chair! Hailing from Far Rockaway, Queens, Kareem got his start in major corporate roles at Lehman Brothers, Kraft Heinz, and Google—all while dreaming of owning a business. Kareem decided to pursue franchising and balanced a 9-to-5 at Google while working nights at a Chick-fil-A to master the day-to-day operations.
In this episode she shares:
- The importance of community impact, creating an empowering work culture, and leading with empathy
- Key lessons on staffing, building trust, and innovating with different revenue channels
- The art of balancing grit and grace when trying to grow your business
Highlights include:
00:00 Intro
03:00 Early career in finance
09:00 Discovering Chik-Fil-a franchising
17:00 Choosing the right location
25:00 Opening during a pandemic
34:00 Staffing strategies
43:00 Leaving a steady paycheck
46:00 Expanding sales methods
52:00 Tips for entrepreneurs
Check out episode 451 of Side Hustle Pro podcast out now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube
This episode is brought to you by:
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Links mentioned in this episode
- Kareem’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kareemjedwards/
- Kareem’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kareemedwards
- Posse Foundation: https://www.possefoundation.org/
- Chick-fil-a Franchising: https://www.chick-fil-a.com/franchising
- Chat GPT: https://chat.openai.com/
- Uncle Nearest: https://unclenearest.com/
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | It's the first customer of the day. |
| 0:02.0 | The unexpected 20% tip and the 100% boost to your confidence. |
| 0:07.0 | Business is a numbers game and sum up has the tools you need to stay ahead. |
| 0:12.0 | With tap to pay, you can accept contactless payments using just your smartphone. |
| 0:17.0 | And with our free business account, you can manage all things money with zero hassle all in one place. |
| 0:23.6 | Make it count with SumUp. Download the app or find out more at sumup.co. |
| 0:29.6 | Where are we? |
| 0:31.6 | A Japanese restaurant? |
| 0:34.6 | A bike workshop? |
| 0:36.6 | A fashion studio? How about a library? |
| 0:41.3 | At the British Library we help people turn their business ideas into reality |
| 0:46.3 | with friendly support and smart advice for everyone for free. |
| 0:50.3 | So if you're starting up, start here at the Business and IP Center in libraries nationwide. |
| 0:56.8 | Search British Library Business to find out more. |
| 1:02.6 | You're listening to Side Hustle Pro, the podcast that teaches you to build and grow your side hustle, |
| 1:08.6 | from Passion Project to Profitable business. And I'm your |
| 1:12.1 | host, Nikala Matthews Okombe. So let's get started. Hey, friends, hey, welcome, welcome back to the show. |
| 1:19.5 | It's Nikaela here. And today in the guest chair, I am so excited to bring you this conversation |
| 1:24.4 | with Kareem Edwards. Kareem is not only a dear friend, but he is just an inspirational side hustler |
| 1:31.6 | turned full-time entrepreneur. |
| 1:33.5 | And yes, by the way, surprise! |
| 1:36.0 | This year, I am introducing some special conversations with some inspirational men side hustlers |
... |
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